VANCOUVER, BC –
Vancouver Whitecaps FC attacker
Camilo
is hoping to make the most of
Kenny Miller
’s call up to the Scottish national team.
Before Miller’s conversion to a left-sided attacker this season from his natural centre forward role, that spot on the left side of the Vancouver attack was the Brazilian’s.
WATCH: Camilo vs. Camilo
This season, however, the 24-year-old has made just one appearance off the bench, playing 23 minutes in a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew on March 9.
While Camilo isn’t bitter about the situation, especially given his side’s perfect start, he’s hoping if he’s given the nod this weekend against Houston Dynamo in Miller’s place, he puts in a performance that keeps him in the side.
“I train very hard every day for when I get an opportunity,” Camilo told MLSsoccer.com earlier this week after a training session at the University of British Columbia. “Always I want to play, but now that Kenny Miller has appearances with the national team, now I hope I can get a start and play well.”
Head coach
Martin Rennie
talked up Camilo’s playmaking ability in preseason, suggesting he could deploy him more of a No. 10 role – but regardless of whether it’s out on the wing or behind Darren Mattocks, the diminutive attacker just wants to get on the field and remind everybody of the quality which earned him the club’s Player of the Year award in 2011.
“Every time you step on the field you have to do well,” Camilo said. “Now, if I step up on the field I want to do the best, and show the coach and the people that I can be in the starting eleven.”
Regardless of who is chosen to step in for Miller, Rennie says the player who steps in must bring the same level of work off the ball that his Designated Player has brought over the first two matches.
“On the road, we have to have that kind of work rate,” Rennie said. “We do have that in our team now. A lot of hard working, fit players, who have a lot more athleticism than we had before, so we’ve got one or two players who can do that, and we’ve also got players who can come on and give us a different look if we have to change it.”
